towards towards north. we are exdid -- winter weather advisory towards the north. this is the beginning stages of our storm that will overpresident the -- spread the air -- overspread the area going into tomorrow. clear skies this afternoon. a little after 11 going into midnight clouds are thickening up and here comes the precip coming in 5, 6 in the morning. and then a moderate band of snow develops going into the mid morning hours on saturday. we have some snowfall total to share with you coming up in just a little bit. let's check on the traffic scene this morning lauren cook on the traffic wall how are we doing. >> reporter: so far so good heading to bwi airport. nothing in your way on 295 or 95. this is south of 195. you won't have issues getting down to dc or traveling up towards baltimore city. as far as 83 is concerned, here's what it looks like just north of 695, nice and clear here as well. you're looking at an 11 minute ride southbound from the

beltway all the way down to fayette street and as we look at the other abc2 timesaver traffic drive times no delays on 695 on the east side it's going to take you 11 minutes on the outer loop from 95 up to 83. the inner loop will be clear down to 95 as well and no problems to report over on the west side you are looking at an 11 minute ride as well on the outer loop from 795 down to 95. megan and charley over to you. 5:31. look at other top stories this morning. a man 65 years old or possibly older pass aid way from hypothermia according to the department of mental health and hygiene. >> this is the first hypothermia death to be confirmed this winter. 15 hypothermia related deaths occurred in maryland during 2011 and 2012. >> there are ways to stay warm in the extremely cold weather. things to keep in mind. officials remind you they say cover your head, cover your mouth with a scarf and wear layers of light weight loose fitting clothes. you should wear mittens not gloves and water proof boots

and sturdy shoes. these are a few things that help when preventing hypothermia. a man was brutally beaten on christmas night in east baltimore and his family is saying it was doing because he is gail. kenneth shaw says he ran down to the corner store tuesday night to pick up a few things. on his way back home, he he says he was attacked by five men in the neighborhood. they say they repeatedly punched him in the face and his mother believed it was simply because he was homosexual. so today they spoke out standing up for discrimination. >> i think you got to get to a point in life that you just can't be afraid anymore. you know, and this is our stand. this is my son. i know i will lay down my life for my son. >> shaw is healing from the beating. baltimore city police did not comment on the story yesterday but they say they are looking into the possibility this was a hate crime. there are workers responsible for getting cargo to and through the ports and to

the stores. >> now a looming strike involving thousands of dock workers could hit us soon. and linda so is live this morning in federal hill and linda just how soon could we be seeing the impact of this. >> reporter: well it could happen this weekend. i mean when you think about what happens at the port of baltimore, thousands of cargo containers coming in things with toys and electronics and our clothing and the dock workers are responsible for getting that cargo off the containers and into the stores but if this looming strike were to happen you can imagine the economic impact it would have. just to give you perspective, 55 billion dollars worth of cargo makes its way through our ports in an average month. so if a deal can't be reached by saturday night, thousands of dock workers will be walking off the job sunday morning. at issue are the large containers and the payment longshoremen get for them. shipping companies pay royalties to dock workers for the containers based on their weight but they want to get rid of theroyalties something longshoremen are not willing to

give up. if an agreement cannot be reached an economic impact from a strike would go well beyond the ports. >> it's unfortunate we have gotten to this point. this has been known in the maritime industry for several months and again when work interruptions occur no one wins. >> reporter: and it's not just the port of baltimore that would be affected. ports from maine to texas up to 15,000 longshoremen could go on strike. live in federal hill, linda so, abc2 news. for almost two months the threat of a fiscal cliff has been a topic of discussion even as no compromise appears to be in the cards. if our elected leaders fail to come through with a deal will it impact you and if so how. charley is live at the live desk and it could be a bigger deal than we realize. >> this could be a big deal indeed. for weeks now we have brought you back and forth here's only thing you need to know this

morning. the gop is refusing to raise tacks on anyone and democrats don't want to cut funding to government programs. caught in the cross fire of this is all of us. you, me and come tuesday, all of our taxes will go up and here's how it could affect you. if you are living paycheck to paycheck with no room to cut expenses you could be in real trouble if this agreement is not reached. a failure to renew the bush era tax cuts could mean 2 to 4,000 dollars per year in increases for most americans. according to the towson university it breaks down like this. if you make 25,000 dollars a year, your taxes are going up about 42 dollars a month if you make 45k, 75 dollars a month. if you make 65,000, your taxes are going to go up 108 a month and if you make 85,000 a year, you're going to go up 143 dollars a month. that's you and me. think about the super rich. someone like lebron james who make 53 million a year his taxes are going up 2 1/2

million dollars a year alone. as for americans, who are they blaming? a study by roisters shows that a-- reuters shows among the groups blamed 27% say this falls in the laps of republicans 16% say president obama's fault and 6% say it's the responsibility of congressional democrats. the largest number this is important 31% of respondents say the whole thing is both parties fault and the president's. also megan this morning we have posted a number of stories at our website abc2news.com. go to there for more on debate and see the numbers as to how it could affect you. >> news time 5:36. while lawmakers continue to talk about the fiscal cliff one man has decided to take action and that's because he is fed up with the country's debt. now, while it's not going to solve all the economic problemswe have, he says it's about making a point. we see what this man is doing.

>> reporter: in his unheated garage, 85-year-old man is working to fix the fiscal cliff one can at a time. how much money have you sent the government? >> a little bit over 3,000 dollars. >> reporter: 3,197.88 to be exact. all tracked on a handwritten ledger. the last three years, garcia has been paying the government 50 dollars a month of the postal service pension and money from cans he collects. >> we are paying too much interest. >> reporter: it bothers you. >> it brothers me because it makes no sense. >> reporter: sense is something garcia's wife of 59 years thinks her husband could use.you think he's crazy? [audio not understandable] >> reporter: call him crazy but there's an entire federal office bureau of public debt

that collects money from hundreds of mr. garcias this office in west virginia was set up by president kennedy so citizens can pay down the national debt. this year alone, it's collected 7.7 million dollars in gifts about 90 million since it was established. but 90 million is not that much especially when you consider the federal deficit is 16 trillion and climbing. to retire the debt every american would have to pay 50,000 dollars. but garcia says you got to start somewhere. especially when washington won't. the partyson bicker -- partisanbickering bothered him since 1992 when he suggested a formula tee limb nate the dent. the depression era kid and army vet says he is giving back to can i try -- country that's given him so much. his daughter is collecting cans at work. his grandson drives garcia to friends houses just to collect

more cans. garcia knows that his monthly money orders won't avert fiscal cliff. but that's not the message he is sending to congress. >> to really solve the 16 trillion dollar national debt, you have to sacrifice. >> reporter: politicians talk about kicking the can down the road. one american has decided that road has to end. and it might as well be here. c. n, san antonio -- cnn, san and he toneo texas. >> -- san antonio texas. >> i think it's great if you feel like tough could something, go ahead and do it. >> he is doing something instead of complaining about it. >> exactly. stay with us this morning. we will find ways to keep warm when temperatures dip and it turns out. [audio not understandable] >> how zoo keepers helped to keep the animals warm and the treats they enjoyed. >> and she spans 3 feet and weighs 170 pound and the new

tightel this great dane holds and her owner says it's a honor. 170 pound. >> the owner was wearing matching colors. watch. let's say you want to get ahead in your career.

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we love sitting at the fireplace getting cozy and the cold winter mornings and nights but it turns out we are not the only ones. look at this the movingies at a zoo in central japan love gathering around a warm fire and roasting smores. zoo keepers say the campfire every day they keep it going during the winter for their monkies they have 160 and they satan malls love sitting by the flames and warming their backs. zoo keepers used the fire to bake potatoe. they say the treats are always a big hit or at least that's what the zoo keepers say. >> you thought they liked bananas. >> this is bella a record breaking great dane according to guinness book of world records she is the world's tallest living female dog. bella is in arizona weighing 170 pounds and she eats four cups of food every day. wow. she is standing on all fours she is over 4 feet tall and her

owners say they were inspired to put her in the running for the title after -- matching shirts there you go. he was the former record holder for the tallest dog ever four cups of food and bella is a big one. >> we have dogs and i he don't think that our -- and don't think our dog's weight combined with come close to bella. >> i have a beagel this big. the paws are bigger than my dog. >> oscar is like a paperweight. >> dogs love smell. >> no mine does not. >> mine is obsessed with snow. >> you open the door at crowson plantation and dog says you've got to be kidding. >> carry me. yeah. you know negotiation is on the way, good for dogs. not good for us because we will be working we are here saturday morning so you know working for you. let's go outside and look at where's the storm down over the tennessee valley a few clouds this morning. and again we will be dealing with chilly temperatures

leading into a chilly afternoon. and then back down to the tennessee valley there you go. there's the storm. doesn't look like much right now. but as it taps into gulf mexico moisture it will expand and move toward the north. so in terms of what we are watching today, it is a blend of sunshine and clouds chilly temperatures around 40 degrees. here comes the cloud for the overnight hours and getting into predawn morning snow will could over area and it's out of here going into saturday evening. so he up to an inch on the bay bridge towards the south one to 2 inches up towards captainon queens ann and from the city on points towards the north 2 to 3 inches of snow and a few lollipop amounts over northern baltimore county northern harford and back out towards carroll county. we will talk about the 7-day forecast coming up in a little bit. let's talk traffic and laura cook in the traffic center. >> reporter: hello, if you are traveling in baltimore county this morninproblems to report. 83 nice and clear from york road all the way down to 695 and as we check in and look

live at the beltway, here in pikesville, green spring avenue no problems to romplet normal conditions 11 minutes to travel the outer loop from 795 down to 95. and for those of you in howard county, here's where interstate 70 looks like. nice and clear from columbia pike over to 695 and you won't have any issues if you are traveling westbound out toward frederick. that's a look at your abc2timesaver traffic megan and charley over to you. they were the first to get to the scene at the sandy hook elementary school and what they saw were terrifying and disturbing. >> the help the connecticut police union is giving those for those officers needing time off due to the trama from the tragedy. also ahead, they captivate audience was their dribbling and all of their magic on the court. we will tell you about catching the legendary harlem globetrotters coming up.

with my keurig vue brewer, i can brew my coffee just the way i love it. how do you do that? inside the brewer, there's this train that makes coffee stronger, bigger, and hotter! actually, i just press this button. brew what you love with the keurig vue. connecticut police union right now is fighting for help. >> first responders at the sandy hook elementary school shooting could have long lasting trauma from what they saw inside. we have more on story. >> reporter: one can imagine the terror felt by first responders as they ran into sandy hook elementary on december 14th. and the carnage they saw even

more disturbing. >> i think they are very resilient and they are doing the best they can. >> reporter: but eric brown a lawyer says the best may not be good enough. >> the thing about the traumas that we read about and we have seen this happen in colorado and the past and virginia tech, is that the effects of this type of emotional trauma are long lasting and essentially chronic. >> reporter: that's why they are calling for help for the five to 15 police officers who were first to arrive on the scene of the deadly shooting. >> we are looking for funding mechanism to make sure that if officers need to take time off from work there's money available to continue their paychecks. >> reporter: right now, newtown police officers get 10 -- 10 paid sick days a year but brown says that's not enough to cope with a tragedy of this magnitude. and to make matters worse, work machine's compensation -- workmen's compensation in connecticut provides little coverage when it comes to mental and emotional issues.

>> in the very small circumstance where a police officer is involved in a use of force so where he fires his weapon or is under threat of having someone use deadly force against him. >> reporter: and that didn't happen. state police lieutenant paul vance says no responding officer fired their weapons at the scene. brown says even that can have an impact on them. >> that leaves them with a helpless feeling and makes them second guess some what have they had done and that's very i do deal with. very difficult to deal with. >> police are also this morning searching for a woman they say pushed a man to his death on a new york train flat form that happened yesterday evening. witnesses say the woman was pacing on the train platform talking to her is of before she sat on the bench. when the train pulled up to the station she got up and push the man on tracks and ran awaych he was pinned in by the second car. police are investigating the

case. >> five things a know on this friday morning they deals audiences and this weekend you can catch the world famous harlem globetrotters first mariner arena in baltimore. globetrotters have a write your own rules world tour first displayed at the arena on saturday. baltimore native hall will be one of the newest players joining the team. you can see him -- you can catch him in two shows the first at 2 and the second at 7. >> before you make the new years' resolution it's national chocolate day over 2 billion pounds of sweet stuff are consumed annually in the united states. that means each person eats over 11 pounds every year. so celebrate go out and enjoy your favorite chocolate and you've reason. >> how about playing cards while you eat that. today is national card playing day. while we know you play the die mopeds and hearts and clubs andspades the older deck has coins and cups and swords and

polo sticks so enjoy good old fashioned cards. police departments are offering vireddual ride alongs -- virtual ride alongs. you need a computer or smart phone. if you use twitter you can get a close up glimpse of situations where officers can experience on the job. officers say the virtual ride alongs adds trance pant sigh to what they -- transparency to what they do. coach chuck pagano was forced to take a leave of absence after forcing -- facing leukemia he came back on christmas eve and will coach for the first time since his diagnosis on sunday e calls the illness overwhelming and humbling. -- he calls the illness overwhelming and humbling. now time for a check of your weather. looks like we will get hit again. >> we are but night block buster. it's going to be a little light event that comes through havre de grace and one of the spots and look at statistics 34 degrees. dew point around 26 westerly win at 3 and it feels pretty brisk out there and certainly

wind chills feeling like it's in the 20s. annapolis is 35 and so a few clouds dancing across the skyline right now. clouds thicken to the south and this is where the storm system is bringing in the moisture off the gulf of mexico and that runs in our direction heading into your morning hours tomorrow. so clouds through here -- in here through the course of the night. the first batch around 5 or 6 a light snow and burst of snow in the afternoon and everything kicks off towards the north and eat by saturday. one to two inches ate long -- along 95 and close to the bay from the city towards the north, 2 to 3 in. the northern tier of the state closing in on the p.a. border right along 83, about 4 inches of snow. we will talk more about the forecast coming up in a little bit. let's talk traffic with lauren cook. >> reporter: we are supposed to get a few inches of snow but it will affect your weekend

travel. be extra careful tomorrow morning if you are heading out. interstate 97 nice and clear. no delays from benfield up to 695 and here's what 95 looks like north of 195. no problems getting to bwi airport this morning or dc and everything will remain nice and clear from elk ridge to downtown baltimore. that stretch will take you the normal 12 minutes. and as we look at the other abc2 timesaver traffic drive times the west side of the beltway in great shape. 8 minutes to travel the outer loop from 795 to 70. and no delays from the maryland pennsylvania state line to the beltway. that will take 21 minutes. now over to you. promising a gift to a person finding his message in a bottle. >> what the sender didn't realize is the journey would go on when the person that discovered the bottle -- can be bottled reached out to him.

thanks for joining us a man sends a message in the bottle with a promise to the recipient a gift in return. >> little did the sender know how much the life would change by the person who found the bottle. dan jones wrote that whoever found it could text him for 3

tickets to the zoo. a homeless man found the bottle and asked for food instead. >> jones did more than that. he gave the guy clothes, and shoes the homeless man says that jones generosity is helping him get back on his feet. >> more than whoa ever imagined. >> did -- he would ever imagine. >> something very special that happened as customers went through a drive through. >> coming up on good morning maryland at 6, the outpouring of generosity that had many becoming an inspiration for others to follow and this was a long, long line.